Story 24: Parting Ways: The Foolish and the Wise
Abram was a chosen man. Adam and Eve, the first humans, had plunged the world under a terrible curse by rebelling against God in the garden of paradise that he had provided with him. They had sided with his enemy and given the enemy power over them and all of their descendants. Yet God had a solution already prepared. From those descendants, God promised that one of them would one day crush the power of God's enemy (Gen. 3:14-15).
“So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,
’Cursed are you above all livestock
and all wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
and you will eat dust
all the days of your life.
And I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel.
Gen. 3:14-15”
One of the most significant stages in the unfolding of God's plan was the covenant he made with Abram (see Gen. 12:1-4 or Story 20).
“The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”
So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran.
Gen. 12:1-4”
God was going to make Abram's descendants into a great nation, and somehow he would bless all the other nations of the world through them. God brought Abram out of the land of his own people and brought him to the land of Canaan, the Land of Promise, that he would give to Abram's children. Abram was called to stay there and live by faith in what God promised he would do. Yet at the first sign of trouble, Abram took his wife and nephew, all his flocks and servants, and left the land. A famine had come, and they fled to Egypt. That didn't turn out too well (see Story 21).
After a coming against a crazy situation in Egypt, Abram moved his family back to Canaan, to a place called Negev. They returned to the region near Bethel. This was the place where Abram had built his second altar to God. That moment was a high and holy moment for Abram; it was a place of great remembrance. Perhaps Abram felt the need to seek a recommitment of faith to the covenant that had come to him there.
As Abraham was traveling about, his nephew Lot went with him. Both of them had huge herds of cows and goats and sheep. There were so many animals that they were eating up all the grass. There wasn’t enough for all the animals to eat. The herdsmen and shepherds of Lot and Abram began to fight with each other over the land and the grass.
So Abram said to Lot, “‘Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers. Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left’” (Gen. 13:8-9).
Wow. That was very generous of Abram. He had already raised Lot. Now he was giving his nephew first choice of the land. Yet Abraham was the elder man, and the covenant promise had been given to him. He had every right to claim the best of the land for himself.
What does his choice show us about Abram? He did not need to grasp with greed. He was demonstrating with his actions that he put his trust in the Lord. He believed his future was in the hands of God. That gave him freedom to give lavishly and graciously to his nephew. His desire to keep peace with his nephew was greater than his desire for the security and honor of wealth and property.
Lot looked out over the land and saw the plain of the Jordan River. It was lush and green with well-watered plants. It was perfect ground for farming and raising crops. His livestock would have plenty to eat. It was like the garden of the LORD. Lot claimed the very best for himself. His decision was based on what he could see. It was not a decision made by faith in God. Abram honored Lot’s choice and moved on to the land of Canaan.
Lot’s first selfish choice was almost as unwise as his second choice. Of all the cities on the plain, he chose to pitch his tents next to the city of Sodom. It was known to be a place of great wickedness, where the people lived lives of filthy immorality and despicable sin. The wrath of God was filling up against them. They were not wise people for Lot to befriend.
After Lot left, the LORD spoke with Abram once again:
“‘Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you’”
Gen. 13:14-17”
Isn't it interesting that God waited for Lot to make his choice and leave before He continued with the promise?
The LORD was rewarding Abram’s faith with assurances of His promises. Abram was to go out and walk along the land, knowing it was truly set apart for him by God. As a king surveys the realm of his kingdom, Abram walked his land and saw with his own eyes this good place that God had prepared for him.
When Abram was done with his tour, he and Sarai moved with all their servants, flocks and herds to a place with beautiful trees called Mamre. It was in the region of Hebron. This area was not like the place where Lot chose to live, where rivers provided a constant flow of water. It was not like Egypt, with the never ending Nile. Hebron was an area that depended on rain for water. The people who lived there were at greater risk for drought or famine. There was no river to go to when things got dry. Abram was well aware of the danger of drought, but he also knew that his God was the Lord over the rain systems of the earth. He trusted these gifts from God’s hands more than the safety of living in larger numbers near a constant water source. He could trust God as he separated his family and servants from the sins and temptations of the city. This was the faith that was growing in our hero. Think of how he had changed from the man who fled to Egypt! Abram showed his devotion and gratitude to God by building an altar of worship to him.
After Lot left, the LORD spoke with Abram once again:
“‘Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.’”
Gen. 13:14-17”
The LORD was rewarding Abram’s faith with assurances of his promises. Abram was to go out and walk along the land, knowing it was truly set apart for him by God. As a king surveys the realm of his kingdom, Abram walked his land and saw with his own eyes this good place that God was preparing for him.
When Abram was done with his tour, he and Sarah moved with all their servants, flocks and herds to a place with beautiful trees called Mamre. It was in the region of Hebron. This area was not like the place where Lot chose to live, where rivers provided a constant flow of water. It was not like Egypt, with the never-ending Nile. Hebron was an area that depended on rain for water. The people who lived there were at greater risk for drought or famine. There was no river to go to when things got dry. Abram was well aware of the danger of drought, but he also knew that his God was the Lord over the rain systems of the earth. He knew that he was safe in God’s hands. This was the faith that was growing in our hero! How different he was from the man who had fled to Egypt! Abram showed his devotion and gratitude to God by building an altar of worship to him there.